Taylor, Edgar [Hrsg.]; Austin, Sarah [Hrsg.]: Lays of the minnesingers or German troubadours of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries: Illustr. by specimens of the contemporary lyric poetry of Provence and other parts of Europe ; With histor. and crit. notes, and engravings from the ms. of the minnesingers in the king's library at Paris, and from other sources (London, 1825)

SECTION IV.

Germany.—Songs of the ancient Teutonic tribes.—Reign of
Charlemagne.—Formation of the Teutonic languages.—Re-
mains of the Carlovingian age.—Fragment of Hildibrant and
Hathubrant.—The Church.—Louis le Debonnaire.—Ot-
fried.—Song of Victory of Louis III.—Legend of St. George.
—St. Anno.—Popular songs.—Suabian dynasty.—Frederic
Barbarossa.—His connexion with the Berengars.—Henry VI.
—Frederic II.—Conrad IV.—Conradin.—Decline of Ger-
man poetry.—Cultivation of poetry at the minor courts, and
in various dialects.—Low German.—Landgrave of Thurin-
gia.—Romances of the Suabian age.—Nibelungen Lied.—
—Laurin.—Scandinavian mythology and poetry.—Harald
the Valiant.—Lyric poetry of the Minnesingers.—Compa-
rison with that of the Troubadours.

Cotemporary, or nearly so, with the most celebrated
Troubadours flourished the Minnesingers of Ger-
many. Their poetry was, till of late, almost unknown
out of their native land ; yet it is decidedly superior
to that of their more fortunate rivals. It is the pri-
mary object of the present volume to introduce these
early ornaments of a kindred tongue to the English
reader; on which account he will perhaps excuse
rather more particular details of their history.

Of all the branches of modern European poetry, it
would be most ungracious to neglect that of the Teu-
tonic nations ; for to them may almost every where
be traced the love and practice of song, even in
g2